Oh, the Places You'll Go!

August 15, 2018

Flying drones, writing permits, 3D modeling, paving a major interstate. Sounds like work for a seasoned construction professional, right?

At Balfour Beatty, summer interns were leading these high-level activities and more, gaining invaluable experience that will set them up for success after graduation. Across our US Buildings and Civils businesses, a total of 177 interns had the opportunity to work in a wide range of specialties, including preconstruction, estimating, operations, virtual design and construction (VDC), loss prevention, communications and more. Each intern was partnered with a Balfour Beatty “buddy” or mentor who oversaw the intern’s growth and development. Interns contributed to notable projects such as River Landing in Florida, the Rio Unified School District’s K-8 STEAM Academy project in California and the Lowest Stemmons project along I-35E in Texas.

“Our reputation for treating our interns as members of the Balfour Beatty family, celebrating their achievements and contributions at every turn and prioritizing their growth in the process has brought top talent into our company year after year,” says Mila Smith, vice president, human resources in Florida. “The baseline expectation is that the experience is meaningful, collaborative and fun for all involved.”

Balfour Beatty’s interns gained practical, hands-on experience that brought their classroom knowledge to life, including learning just how important teamwork is in the construction industry. Orlando intern, Matthew Blaskowski (University of Florida, December 2018) says, “For a tough project to be successful, it’s important that the project team is strong enough to survive the storms, both figuratively and literally. Having the opportunity to work alongside such an experienced and welcoming team has been humbling to say the least.”

But it wasn’t all work and no play! Mid-Atlantic interns enjoyed a scavenger hunt at the Smithsonian Museum of American History, while Seattle interns unlocked clues in an escape room. Florida interns found their wings during an indoor skydiving team building event.

Balfour Beatty also held it’s first-ever intern social media competition, encouraging students to post about their experiences and lessons learned. The questions and winners were:

What have you learned during your internship that you didn’t learn in school?
Winner: Austin Williams (California)

Which Balfour Beatty employee has had the most impact on you during your internship and why?
Winner: Austin Williams (California - again! Go Austin!)

How has your internship helped you realize the importance of safety both on and off the jobsite?
Winner: Logan Craft (Florida)

What have you learned about teamwork over the course of your internship?
Winner: Jessica Escobar (Civils)

As our summer program has come to an end, we are grateful for the contributions of our talented interns. We wish them a safe and successful school year, and in the words of Dr. Seuss, can’t wait to see the places they’ll go!